[MEDIA RELEASE] Matt Toner announced as deputy leader of B.C. Green Party

By BC Greens · January 18, 2016

18

January 2016

VANCOUVER B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party, announced today that he has appointed high-tech entrepreneur Matt Toner as the party’s second Deputy Leader. Toner will continue to serve as the party’s Critic for Finance and the New Economy, a role he has held since April 2015.

“I would like to thank Andrew Weaver for this opportunity to serve British Columbians,” Toner said. “The reason why I joined the B.C. Green Party is their commitment to creating a sustainable, diversified 21st century economy in British Columbia. The creative and high-tech sectors are vital to that vision. For the past six months, Andrew and I have been actively engaging leaders in the high-tech sector. We will continue that process for the next fourteen months to create a 2017 election platform that will demonstrate how the B.C. technology sector can and will lead.”

“Our vision is a clean-technology economy – a 21st century economy. One that makes British Columbia an economic and environmental leader.” said Andrew Weaver. “Matt Toner will be integral to those efforts.”

“Under the current B.C. Liberal government, the needs of the high-tech economy have largely been ignored as Premier Clark pursues a pipedream liquefied natural gas industry. Now with events like the B.C. Tech Summit, the B.C. Liberals are playing catch-up to herald and support a clean-tech and knowledge-based economy. The B.C. Green Party is providing British Columbians with a real choice for economic success based on local growth and sustainability in the 2017 provincial election.”

“As we head into the by-elections on February 2nd, voters in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant and Coquitlam–Burke Mountain have the opportunity to elect two extraordinary Green MLAs – Pete Fry and Joe Keithley, respectively,” Toner added. “They offer a sustainable vision for our economy. Voters have an opportunity to choose MLAs who embody the future of our communities and province, and who truly represent their constituents. We can make a better B.C., today.”

Toner is a digital media entrepreneur who has led startup ventures in New York, Toronto and Vancouver. He is currently CEO of Biba Ventures Inc., which designs playgrounds that incorporate smart phone technology to facilitate embodied digital play.

Matt Toner is an innovation industry veteran and internationally respected advocate for the Vancouver tech and creative industries. He has led startups in New York, Toronto and Vancouver, winning the city's 2014 Award of Excellence for Business Innovation. As a regular lecturer at Simon Fraser University's School of Interactive Arts & Technology, Matt is always keen to pass along his experiences to the next generation of innovation-driven entrepreneurs.

Prior to his career in the new economy, Matt worked at the Bank of Canada and in the Department of Foreign Affairs, assigned abroad as Vice Consul at the Canadian Consulate General in New York. He holds a graduate degree in economics and earned the Queen's Commission as an officer in the naval reserve.

Keenly aware of the need for government to cultivate British Columbia’s new economy, Matt became a member of the B.C. Green Party in March 2015. He has held the role of Critic for Finance and the New Economy since April 2015, and was appointed the party’s second Deputy Leader in January 2016.